(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery and a rechargeable battery including the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Batteries transform chemical energy generated from an electrochemical oxidation-reduction reaction of chemical materials inside the battery into electrical energy. Batteries are divided into primary batteries, which should be discarded after the energy inside the batteries is all consumed, and rechargeable batteries, which can be recharged several times.
Among batteries, the rechargeable battery can charged/discharged several times through the reversible transformation of chemical energy and electrical energy.
Meanwhile, recent development in the high-end electronic industry makes electronic devices smaller and lighter and which leads to an increase in portable electronic devices. Since portable electronic devices demand batteries with high energy density, researchers are studying vigorously to develop rechargeable lithium batteries.
A rechargeable lithium battery is fabricated by injecting electrolyte into a battery cell, which includes a positive electrode including a positive active material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions and a negative electrode including a negative active material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions. The electrolyte significantly affects the performance of the rechargeable lithium battery.